Things Never Turn Out As Expected Now, Do They?
by Francy
Summary: Derek Morgan has been gone from the BAU for almost 18 months, leaving behind his Best friend Penelope Garcia. How will she handle him being back a changed person?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright, this is a first for me in several ways. It's my first Criminal Minds fanfiction. It's also the first fanfiction I started since being at university (over five years already). And it's the first fanfiction I'm writing in English and not in my mother tongue German. I got the idea for it while reading _Rhythm of Love_ by klcm and I just needed this initial idea out of my mind because I'm actually supposed to work on my thesis. I'm pretty much doing this for fun and as a way to get into the writing flow so I don't care much wether I'll get reviews or not. Usually I upload new stuff if I have some. Of course, reviews are still appreciated though. Also, I should warn you. It might be a little while till I'll be able to write more for this-unless I feel the absolute urge to procrastinate a bit.**

**Alright, that's it for now. There'll be another note at the end of the first chapter.**

Penelope Garcia pricked up her ears. Since it was a slow morning at the BAU her door was open so she could hear what was going on outside her small word of screens and motherboards.

"Have you seen Agent Morgan is back?" Garcia heard a woman ask another one right outside her office.

The other one just giggled. "Yeah. Finally. I missed having my daily fix of looking at that fine body of his."

Now, they both giggled as they made their way down the hall.

Penelope couldn't believe it. Derek was back? It had been almost 18 months since she had talked to her best friend. Almost 18 months that she had waited to hear exactly those words, that he was back from his undercover assignment.

Without hesitation she got up from her chair and hurried towards the bull pen. All she wanted, all she needed, was to feel the embrace of her Hot Stuff again. After being constantly in touch with him both at work and in her private life for over six years, not being able to talk to him from one day to the next had been tough on her. The others had done their best to make the lack of her best friend up to her but as adorable as Reid and as charming as Rossi could be, nothing compared to the loving banter she had always shared with her noir hero.

"Where is he?" She looked around hoping to see a trace of him but so far nothing in the bull pen hinted at him being really back. Nothing but J.J., Prentiss and Reid standing together watching the door of Hotch's office closely.

"He's with Hotch," Reid anwered, "and he's been in there for 56 minutes already."

Penelope glared at them. "He's been at the BAU for almost an hour and no one felt the urge to let me know? Nice friends you are." She had thought they all knew how much she was looking forward to Derek's return.

J.J. and Prentiss gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry sweetheart, we figured it'd be a lot better if he surprised you in your office. We didn't want to take that away from him."

Garcia looked between the two. That even made sense. Still she felt a little peeved at being the last to find out. Pushing the feeling aside, she now concentrated on Hotch's door as well. Surely, her man would come out any moment now. And it seemed Kharma was on her side because it was only a few minutes later that the door opened and her Hot Stuff and Hotch stepped out of the office.

Penelope felt her heart start racing—how she had missed to just look at him. It took her mind a moment to realize that the men were followed by a blond woman who seemed to be in her late twenties.

Hotch looked at his team starring up at his office. He knew that all they wanted to do was to celebrate Morgan's return but he also knew that they had to start working the case that had just gotten in as soon as possible. Sometimes he hated to be the one in charge since he had to spoil their fun on so many occasions. "Alright guys, five minutes to get the welcome back done and then we need to get started." He nodded at everyone before turning back to his office.

As Morgan walked down the few steps to the bull pen the rest of the team gathered around him.

"It's good to have you back Morgan" Reid was the first to give him a quick hug. He would have never admitted hit but he had missed having someone around he could turn to when he was unsure of himself. Rossi and Hotch were not much of a help and there were certain issues he just didn't feel comfortable with to discuss with the girls.

"It's good to be back, man." He slapped Reid on his right shoulder before turning to J.J. and Prentiss. "Ladies." He gave them one of his infamous smiles as he pulled them both into a hug at the same time.

Garcia smiled as she witnessed the scene in front of her. This was so typical of her Derek, to share his love with the people he cared for without saying much. She felt herself getting giddy as he finally turned to her. "Garcia." He pulled her into a hug as well but Penelope couldn't help but feel disappointed. What had happened to 'baby girl,' to 'gorgeous,' of any of the endearments he usually used with her?

He smiled down at her as he pulled out of the hug but Penelope couldn't ignore how it didn't quite reach his eyes as it usually did. She couldn't try to figure it out though since Hotch reappeared, telling them they really needed to start working.

* * *

><p>As everyone went to the conference room, Garcia realized that the girl who had come out of Hotch's with the two men followed them there. What was going on with that?<p>

"Alright everyone," Hotch looked around the team. "First of all, I'd like to introduce to you Special Agent Collins. She has been recently assigned to support the team for the time being."

Garcia didn't understand. The team was constantly faced with troubles because of more and more budget cuts and now all of sudden the FBI had enough money to assign another member to a team that was well functioning the way it was.

Everyone exchanged a quick 'hello,' before J.J. started presenting the case: "We've been called in by the officials of Madison County. They have a violent streak of murders going on there. So far there have been six murders in the last three weeks. With every week there is one victim more. All of the victims are females in their late twenties to early thirties and have been dumped somewhere close to covered bridges. None of them had been reported missing which probably means they are killed and dumped within a short time period. With each victim the unsub also got more violent. And the time between each victim gets shorter each time. Between finding the first and the second victim a week passed, between the last two victims it's been only 48 hours."

"So we have even less than that to catch the unsub," Reid concluded.

"Exactly, that's why I want everyone ready to catch the pane in five minutes. We'll continue the briefing on the plane."

"Sir?" Penelope looked at him.

"Yes; you too. With this case we need all the eyes at the place we can get." With that everyone got up to gather their belongings.

As Penelope walked out of the room, she heard Collins whispering to Morgan. "So much for having some time to settle in. Is it always like this?"

"Most of the time, yeah. It's different with each case though. Now, get ready girl. Hotch is quite serious about when he wants to leave for the airstrip, and believe me you don't want to find out what happens when you're not on time."

She heard them both give a quick laugh and couldn't get rid of the feeling that her superhero knew Collins already. What was going on there?

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before Penelope got an answer to that question. The two of them seemed to be rather close. As they had all gotten out of the SUVs bringing them to the airstrip, Penelope had witnessed how Derek took the luggage away from Collins, carrying it for her. And now they were standing next to the coffee machine, deep in conversation, laughing about an inside joke on occasion.<p>

Penelope had to use all her strength to not start crying. She had imagined her reunion with Derek so often but none of the scenarios in her head had entailed something like this. She felt a stab of jealousy when Collins put her hand on his chest as if to emphasize her words. That in itself was bad enough but Derek's reaction to it made it even worse. Not only did he put his hand on her hip in a soft touch but he also gave one of his bright smiles, the ones that he had used to give Penelope all the time before he went away.

**A/N: So, that's it for now. This story will eventually be Derek/Penelope but I just think they should overcome some obstacles first. What I basically planned for this story is to intertwine the story of Garcia dealing with Derek being back and flashbacks of what exactly happened to him while he was away.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, you guys had me so overwhelmed that I just couldn't help myself and write a new chapter. I'll try to update once a week from now on but since my thesis is due in three weeks, I might not be able to do so. So please have some patience with me. I promise that as soon as the thesis is handed in and I'm back form skiing vacation, I'll work on the story constantly so you don't have to wait as much. Also, I have to apologize but I had to change the rating to "M" now. When I started the story I wasn't yet sure where to go with it and when I got all your reviews and stuff I started to really think about it. Then, when writing this chapter I realized that there will be some dark parts in it so to be on the save side I changed the rating. Alright, I guess that's about it for now. Enjoy the chapter, it shows a little bit of Derek's life while away. There will be five or six in total of these throughout the story so that you get everything that's needed to understand it. Another note, at the end again.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Criminal Minds but I least I own all the new characters in this story... I guess that's at least a little._

Derek dropped his keys in the small table next to his door while kicking his shoes off. He looked around his apartment—nothing seemed like it belonged to a man like Derek Morgan. But then again, it didn't. This placed belonged to Michael Sanders, a small time criminal who tried to get into the big game. After three months he had least had made a little progress on that. He still had a long way to go, though. The goal was to become a member of the close circle around Juan Alvarez, number one drug and weapons dealer in California with close bonds to international drug cartels. Too bad no one could tell how long this would take and therefore who long it would be till he could return to his life, to his Baby Girl.

As soon as he had that thought he pushed it to the back of his mind. He had known what he had signed up for from the beginning. Only he hadn't really signed up for it in the first place. Strauss had been very clear that there was little choice in the matter. He remembered her words to well. "Agent Morgan, let me be clear with you. The budget cuts the BAU is facing are getting worse. The way it looks right now I don't have a choice but to downsize the team."

Derek felt annoyance surge up again once more. Basically, Strauss had told him that Penelope would be the first of the team to be transferred since her working just for them simply cost too much. He hadn't been able to stand the thought of his Baby Girl having to leave the team. He knew it would ruin her to work anywhere else, the team was her family and would do anything to protect her from being hurt. So he had swallowed the pill and accepted the job.

Derek groaned he really had to stop doing this to himself. Right now, the only thing important was to get his head in the game. The sooner he made progress, the sooner he would be back in Quantico.

* * *

><p>Derek got out of his shower groaning. Every single muscle in his body was sore from the fight he had earlier. The last 24 hours had been tough on him but at least it meant e had had gained Johnny's trust. The next step was to get to the next level and meet Alvarez for the first time—a task a lot more difficult. Only the best were allowed near him.<p>

As he looked into the mirror above his sink, Derek was shocked at how he looked. There were cuts and bruises all over his body. Nothing too serious but still enough so that pain killers were definitely in need. As an image of his last opponent flashed through his mind, Derek cringed. Despite his looks right now he had nothing on the other guy who had been not much more than a bloody mess in the end. Derek took a deep breath as Johnny's appreciating voice rang through his ears: "Impressive man. Remind me to never get on your bad side."

Derek closed his eyes. He hated what this job was doing to him. As an agent he was used to see blood and gore all the time but then he tried to stop these things. Now he was the one committing it. Yes, he had killed more than his fair share of people but every single time it was only to protect himself and those close to him from being hurt. His opponents then were insane people who killed to fulfill some weird fantasies. He didn't doubt that the guy he had beaten half to death was a first class scumbag but at the end of the day he had never done anything against Derek. The only reason Derek had done it was because Johnny told him to. Yes, it brought him a little closer to his goal but Derek didn't want to think of what all the things he'd have to do to get there just now.

At least he would get a partner soon. The task chief had decided that it might be best if they came from two sides. Not only did it mean a little bit protection for him but also

After getting dressed in some old, grey sweatpants and a black shirt, Derek decided to sort through his mail. He hadn't been home in over a week and there was a considerable stack of envelopes he had to check. Most of it were either bills or commercials. He couldn't believe how many companies had his information despite the fact that Michael Sanders had only appeared a little over three months ago. One manila envelope with just "Sanders" written on it caught his full attention though. As he pulled it open two photos as well as a scrap of paper fell out.

A note was scribbled on the paper: "Tomorrow night." Nothing else.

Looking at the photos of a young woman he instantly knew what the note referred to. During the last briefing his task chief had informed him that he would get a partner. A female agent was supposed to gain Johnny's trust as well in order to back-up his own achievements and Derek was the one to get her into the gang by drawing Johnny's attention to her. Breuer, his task chief, had thought that they would be most convincing if they didn't meet before. That's what the pictures were there for. This way, Derek knew which girl was the one he had to flirt with extensively the next night.

He took a closer look at the two pictures, one was a close-up and the other a full length shot and had to admit that she was easy on the eyes. In the close-up, she smiled into the camera with big green-brown eyes which gave her something almost child-like. Yet, as he looked at the other photo, he could tell she was anything but a child. The light purple summer dress she wore just gave enough away to know that she had a great body while still looking quite innocent. The in combination with the honey-blonde curls falling across her shoulders in a mess might have caught his full attention in the past. Now all it did was reminding him of the blond goddess who had captured his heart quite some time ago.

Derek closed his eyes, remembering his last night at home. No one in the team had felt like going out to party so they had opted for a quite dinner instead. Penelope had sat left of him and throughout the whole time he had held her to him. He had known he would miss the team but with that he could deal. Not knowing when he would see her again had been something that had caused him several sleepless nights. What had been even worse was the pain he had seen in her face and knowing that he had caused it.

Too soon, the end of the evening had arrived and he had to say his goodbyes. For once, he had been thankful for the profiling skills of his colleagues and friends as they all had kept their goodbyes short to give him some time on his own with Penelope.

"I don't want you to go."

"I know Baby Girl. Believe I don't really want to leave either." He had put his arms around her to keep her as close as possible.

"Then why do you do it?" her voice had quivered.

He hadn't told her the real reason for taking the job because she would have never allowed it just to protect her. "Someone had to do it and with all my amazing profiling skills I'm simply the best for it." He had tried to sound smug but as always she had looked right through it.

"I know you can't tell me. Just promise that you will come back." At the point her voice had broken and he had felt tears seep through his shirt.

"I will" He had looked down at her, tilting her head up with his hand so that she had to look him in the eyes. "I love you Baby Girl, don't you ever forget that." How much he had wanted to kiss her as she had tried to put on a brave face. But he had known that it wouldn't have been fair to her. Not only because she was with Lynch but also because he had known that it just be cruel for him to ask her to wait for him for an unknown time.

Derek took a deep breath as he opened his eyes again. He hadn't kissed her but at least he had asked her to stay with him that night. They had tried to keep their minds of the future and just had held each other silently. The way she had been there when he had gotten into the car the next morning, the brave face of his Baby Girl the last thing he had seen when leaving his life behind.

He took another look at the photos of his new partner, hoping that together they would make progress fast so that he could go back home.

* * *

><p>"Oh, come on man," Johnny was punching him in the shoulder, laughing. "You're always way to somber. Just pick one of those beautiful ladies and have some fun."<p>

Derek had to suppress a groan as he glanced at him, slapping a woman on her bottom as she walked by. Johnny was a slimy git who thought he was God's given gift to womanhood. Derek just didn't know who had given him that complex. He was rather average when it came to looks and only a little smarter than that. But then again, there probably was a reason why the girls surrounding him were total bimbos 99 percent of the time.

"Not right now. The girls are all rather plain if you ask me," Derek just answered. He was looking around the club trying to find his partner—with the dim light and the amount of people on the dance floor that task was easier said than done.

"Well, that chick is anything but plain," Johnny leered as a young woman dressed in a red, strapless dress entered the club.

Derek had to admit that she was definitely something, a feeling most men at the club seemed to share as most of them were openly gawking at her. But Derek couldn't allow himself to get distracted like this. It wasn't until she smiled at something her friend had said that he realized she actually was his partner—only she didn't look as innocent as in the pictures anymore. She had tames her hair into shiny waves, her dress was clinging to her body in all the right places not leaving much too the imagination any longer, and her long legs looked even longer due to the three-inch red, strappy heels she was wearing. As he eyed her up and down, he caught her looking at him, giving a coy smile before turning around to the bar. Derek had to gulp, this would definitely be an interesting evening.

"You know what," he turned back to Johnny, "some fun sounds just about right at the moment." With that he turned to head to the back, hearing Johnny chuckle as he pushed through the crowd.

He found her standing at the bar, her friend no longer to be seen. "Hey there Gorgeous, what's your name?" He bend down to her—not that he had to go far since wearing the heels she was almost as tall as him.

"Ashley."

He bend a little closer to make sure that only she could hear him. "And what's your real name?"

"Isabella Collins, nice to meet you partner."

He grabbed her hand, planting a little kiss on its back. "Nice to meet you, too." As he looked at her he saw annoyance in her eyes. And as if that wasn't bad enough already, she simply passed him and walked onto the dance floor. What the heck was she doing?

Feeling a little peeved, he looked after her. She had started to dance on her own, oblivious to the stares she received from the guys around her. Derek had to admit, she definitely knew how to move that body. Again she gave him a playful smile so he joined her on the dance floor without further hesitation. Only she turned away as he tried to put his hands on her hips. Okay, this wasn't really funny, what did she think she was doing?

Grinding his teeth to keep smiling, he just moved in behind her, grabbing her hips a little bit too forcefully. As she was finally close enough to her, he hissed into her ear: "What do think you're doing? "

Again, she pushed his hands away but stayed in front of him. Moving to the hip hop beats blaring from the speakers, she slowly turned around to him, he hip pushing against his crotch in the process. She smiled up at him, but her eyes told him she was as annoyed as he was. She put her hand on his chest to steady herself as she got on her toes to be closer to his face. "That's easy Agent Morgan. That scumbag is the typical alpha male. He'll want me when he sees that you get me. But he'll want me even more when he sees that you don't stand a chance with me. He'll want to prove that he's better than you. So keep following me." With that she gave him a little peck on the cheek and turned to walk away once more.

Derek groaned—of course, with all the possibilities they had to assign as little miss smarty-pants as his partner. Somehow he felt like the job just had gotten even more annoying and difficult. Still he followed her back to the bar.

AS if on cue, Johnny appeared next to them. "So, Mickey, care to introduce me to that lovely lady?" He gave a leering smile to Isabella.

Before Derek could even say a word, she had already latched herself onto Johnny's arm. "My name's Ashley. And you are?"

"One lucky guy I believe."

**A/N: Okay, so that was the new chapter. I know it's quite depressing but I promise you the next chapters will also have some cheery parts in them. So, just to point it out again: Derek's undercover name is Michael Sanders, Isabella Collins's name is Ashley (I haven't decided if and what her last name will be). In the chapters dealing with the task, I'll still use their proper names when writing what they think, do, etc. and only use the undercover names in direct speech. I hope I won't confuse that ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Yeah! I handed in my thesis last Thursday so I can finally really get t work on this story. You can't imagine how much I've been looking forward to that. Right now, I'm on vacation, skiing in Italy which should give me plenty of free time to get some serious writing done. I've already got a huge chunk of this story as notes and short scenes—now, all I need to do is put it all together and write the missing parts. BTW, it's gonna be 14 chapters in total. Okay, I guess that was enough rambling from my side. You already waited so long for this chapter I don't want to put it out much longer. Just one more thing: Thanks for your patience and your feedback. I'm still at awe for the response this story got so far, especially since it all just started out of procrastination. Okay, that was really all I had to say now. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything related to Criminal Minds—which is a good thing since I don't know what I would do to Morgan and Reid if they belonged to me ;)

"Alright, we'll touch down in Winterset in fifteen minutes. J.J., Garcia, Reid, you go and set up everything. Rossi, you take Collins and talk to the victims' families. Prentiss, Morgan and I will go and look at the latest crime scene." With these words, Hotch ended the briefing and got up from his seat to get himself a coffee.

Prentiss took his seat across Collins instead looking at the newest member of their team with an inquiring look. "So, tell us about yourself Collins."

The blonde woman looked up from the case folder surprised. Derek had warned her that the other would want to find out everything about her first chance they got, she just hadn't expected it to be so soon. "There's not much to tell. Born and raised in Seattle, a happy childhood with older twin brothers bugging me for being a girl, after high school I travelled a little, then college and as soon as I could I joined the academy." Collins summarized her resume.

"Seattle?" Rossi now asked. "Any relation to Jessica Collins?"

"She's my aunt." Collins smiled.

Rossi nodded. "That's why your name sounded so familiar. Your aunt has told me about you and I think she'd be a little disappointed to hear how you diminish your achievements."

"What are you talking about, Rossi?" Reid now participated in the conversation as well but it wasn't Rossi who answered but Derek who appeared next to them.

"She's got a PhDs in Comparative Literature and Anthropology from Harvard and another one in Forensics from Capella. Plus, I don't know how many bachelor's and master's degrees."

Prentiss starred at the woman in front of her. She would have never expected something like this. "So, you're like Reid, only with boobs."

"Boobs or not, Prentiss, no one can be like our Genius boy."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Reid looked at Derek with a confused-hurt look.

It was Collins who answered for him: "Derek told me about you Dr. Reid and he's right. It's difficult to beat an eidetic memory and an IQ of 187. Mine is only 175 and it takes me a little longer to read than it does you." She smiled at him.

Prentiss again starred at her. "Only 187 and a little longer. What is it with them assigning geniuses to this team? Isn't one of them enough?"

Everyone smiled at her as she had said it with humour.

"Anyway," Rossi now talked again, "we're glad to have you board. I loved working with your aunt and from what I can tell, working with you will be just as nice. I think I'm a lucky man to have the honor to work with you as the first one in this team." During the last comment he winked at her, only to be addressed by Derek: "Back off, Rossi." He put his hand on Collins shoulder as if to show that no one better mess with her.

Meanwhile, Penelope had listened in on the conversation, feeling a stab of pain when she head heard how proud Derek had sounded summarizing Collins' academic achievements. Now, it even grew worse as she realized how protective he was of her. Why did she have to come as well? It would have been so much easier to not witness Derek's obvious proofs of affection for the new girl first hand and Penelope wasn't sure how much more of it she could stand before she would break.

"Pen, are you alright?" J.J. looked at her colleague and friend with a concerned glance.

Penelope sighed. Was it really this obvious that she was sad? "It's nothing J.J. I'm just tired."

J.J. saw how she looked back to where Derek was standing next to Collins, his hand still on her shoulder. She couldn't imagine how Penelope was feeling.

The whole team had witnessed how she had put up a brave face after Derek had left—knowing that he would return enough to keep her going. And now, that he was back, everything somehow had changed.

"Give him some time. He just got back." J.J. put her arm around Penelope to reassure her.

Only it had the opposite effect. She just slumped down further. "I'm not sure about that. He seems to be perfectly fine with you guys. He just acts different towards me."

J.J. knew that right now there weren't any words that could easer her friend's pain. Looking at Derek and Collins, too, she just hoped that he would get over whatever it was that kept him from Penelope.

A/N: I know the chapter is really short but to be honest, I didn't really feel like writing it 'cause it really is just there to give you a little more information on Collins. Plus I know what I want to do in the next chapter and I think it will be a lot more fun to write. I hope the chapter still read okay though. I really wanted to get it done so that you didn't have to wait much longer. If all goes well and skiing doesn't exhaust me too much, the next chapter should be done by Wednesday. As always reviews are very much appreciated but not necessary for me to keep writing-I love working on the story too much to not do it.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks to everyone for your reviews. I know it hurts to see Garcia in so much pain. I hate it, too. It will get better eventually, it just takes a little bit to get there. Anyway, I hurried with the update. Enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I did a mental check of my past to see if by any chance I forgot the part where Criminal Minds belonged to me—but no such luck. Still isn't mine. I'm just using it to give my crazy mind an outlet. A girl can dream though right?

Penelope was sorting through her files about the Madison County case when she felt someone watching her. She swirled around in her chair, wanting to say that it was rude to sneak up on people and watch them but her words got stuck in her throat when she saw that it was Derek. He leaned on the door frame watching her without saying a word. She couldn't put her finger on it but something about him was different. Over the last week she had wondered what exactly had happened to him more than once. Gone was the easy banter with his colleagues, the closeness with all of them and with her specifically. Most of the time he had seemed distant and unless it had been related to the case he barely had said a word. Now, too, she could see distance and hurt in his eyes and all she wanted to do was hug him and make whatever it was that did this to him disappear.

Derek watched his Baby Girl working through the files. He wanted to ask her to join the team at the bar but for a moment he was just happy to watch her. He knew that his keeping a distance to her was hard for her. He could see it every time their eyes met. He wanted to make her feel better but right now he just didn't know how. For a second it startled him when she suddenly turned around but he tried to keep all his emotions from his face. Once more, he saw the hurt in her eyes.

The two of them starred at each other, both wanting to make the pain disappear for the other but not knowing how to achieve that. It was Penelope who finally broke the silence: "How may I help you Agent Morgan?"

Derek had to concentrate hard, not to wince at her official way to address him. He knew it served him right since he had been so one to start this whole distance crap. "We're all heading over to the bar. You wanna come?"

Penelope was surprised. She had expected a lot but not that he asked her to join them. Over the last week he had barely talked to her at all and now this. "Oh, I don't really know. Maybe I should just head home."

Derek pushed himself off the door frame and took some steps into her office. "Listen, if this is about Lynch, why don't you just bring him along." He smiled down at her. He didn't really feel like having Lynch around. It was not like he didn't like him or anything, he just didn't need a reminder that there was someone who could make his girl happy and that it wasn't him at the moment.

Penelope shook her head. "It's not that—" she paused. "Actually, he and I are not together any longer."

At her words, Derek felt a small twinge of happiness. "When did that happen?"

"About half a year ago. There just wasn't that much left between us. Though I think that new techie Alice also a played a little role in it." Penelope just shrugged as she got up from her chair gathering her stuff. The files could wait till tomorrow.

She was surprised when Derek suddenly stepped right in front of her, putting a hand on her shoulder. He bent down to look her directly in the eyes. "Did he betray you? You know, one word from your lovely lips, sweetheart, and I'll crash him."

Garcia's breath caught in her throat as she saw her Hot Stuff reappear out of nowhere. This was the msn she had waited for to come back and not that brooding copy of his former self. She couldn't help herself but to put her hand on his chest to reassure him as she said: "I know Sweet Pea but he didn't take any actions until after we broke up. Actually, I was the one who took the final step—" She wanted to tell him the truth that her heart just didn't belong to anyone else but him but as she was taking up all her courage to admit her feeling, Collins walked into the office as well.

"Wow, Garcia. This place is amazing. I'm slightly jealous right now. Why do you get to work with all the cool gadgets while all I get to do is carry a gun and run after some unsub?" She looked around a happy gleam in her eyes.

"Eh, thanks?" Penelope was surprised and confused by this. She hadn't talked to the new girl much yet—mostly because she was jealous of the bond she seemed to share with Derek. And the jealousy returned full-blown as Derek dropped his hand from her arm putting more distance between them again.

He smiled at Collins. "Leave it to you, to make some computers sound cooler than the action part of our job." Just as he had uttered the words he realized what they must have sounded like. He didn't dare to look at Penelope, knowing she would have misunderstood him.

Penelope swallowed her—that stung. Yet, she was surprised when Collins suddenly slapped him in the head. "Sometimes you're such a dick. Without Garcia we would be nothing and you know it." She smiled down at Penelope. "I really do envy you. Maybe you can teach me some things. I love to learn new stuff and from what Derek has told me, you sound like a real genius in the computer department."

Once more Penelope was surprised, feeling like she had entered some sort of alternate reality. No one but Lynch had her ever called a genius—mostly because for a normal person it was rather difficult to understand what she was doing. Collins seemed really nice and even if she didn't want to, she started to like her a little.

Derek laughed as he saw the dreamy look in Collins eyes as she looked around the office once more. He turned to Penelope, smiling at her. "Bella is a total geek when it comes to these things. Sometimes it's almost scary how much she is a mix of you and Reid."

"Oh shut up, you're just jealous that you not a genius like we are." Again she slapped him, only this time it was on his chest. Then she turned back to Penelope, asking. "Are you guys coming? The others decided to head directly to the bar since everyone is in desperate need of something to drink."

"You don't even drink alcohol, Baby Girl."

Penelope watched how Derek put his arm around Collins, pulling her close to his side. It was one thing to see him being close with another woman—she had seen that before. It was something completely else that he used her nickname on Collins. Penelope felt like someone had just pushed a thousand tiny needles into her heart. She really had been replaced. Her reverie was disturbed by Collins laugh.

"So not the point right now, Baby. So you're coming or not?" She stepped out of Derek's embrace and just walked out the office.

"Lead the way my fair lady," Derek said as he strolled after her. Just as Penelope thought he would leave without giving her one more thought, he turned back, smiling. "Are you coming Pen?"

Penelope moved her eyes from the dance floor where Derek was dancing with some random girl back to Collins being in a deep conversation with Reid. The rest of the team had stopped listening when the two of them had started talking some mathematical issues no one but them seemed to understand anyway. Collins had surprised everyone by talking about random issues like the newest chick flick one second to getting all academic within less than ten seconds. It seemed she could adjust to whomever she talked to with ease. Penelope had to admit that as much as she didn't want to she really started to like the chirpy girl sitting next to her. Her energy was contagious and Penelope could see why Derek would like her.

What she didn't get though was what their relationship was like really. From the way they acted, she had been under the impression the two were an item. Yet, Derek was dancing with that girl and Collins didn't seem to worry the least. Unlike Penelope herself, she didn't even glance at the dance floor once.

Penelope was pulled out of her thoughts, as Collins suddenly jumped up. "Okay, I think I'll go dancing, too. Anyone care to join me?" She looked around the table, her eyes fixing down Hotch. "What about you, Sir?"

He just raised his eyebrows at her, making everyone else laugh. It didn't dampen Collins attempt to find someone to join her though. She turned to Reid next. "Dr. Reid?"

Once more they all laughed as Reid turned different kinds of red, mumbling: "Oh, ehm; I—no, I—well, not know."

Collins smiled down at him. "Then maybe later. Ladies?" She turned to the female half of the team but they, too, declined.

"Okay, I guess then it's just me."

"What about me? You asked everyone but me." Rossi suddenly asked, winking at her.

Collins laughed, answering: "Well, Agent Rossi, my aunt has told me one or the other story about you when she heard I'd be assigned to the team you're in. From what I heard, I think it's better to keep a little distance to you." She, too, winked. As she turned towards the dance floor she suddenly took off the long-sleeved shirt she was still wearing from work, leaving her only dressed in a fitting dark purple top with lace straps that ended just two inches over her jeans.

Penelope was amazed by Collins' confidence. As if she couldn't care for anything, she walked unto the dance floor being oblivious to all the men starring after her. Penelope had always envied those girls that caught everyone's attention without being aware of it and Collins definitely belonged to that female species.

Derek, too, stopped dancing with that random girl and grabbed Collins the moment she was close enough for him. He pulled her close as the swayed to the music smiling at each other.

One of the first things Penelope had learned about Derek Morgan was that he loved to just shaking the stress away after a tough week. Whenever the team went out, he ended up on the dance floor sooner or later. Penelope had always been reluctant to join him. The few times she had given in, she had felt self-conscious about her movements, even with Derek guiding her. Watching him now with Collins she wondered what he had looked like on these occasions. Had he smiled the same way? She wanted to but she just couldn't remember. It hadn't seemed important back then.

The music suddenly switched to some fast R'n'B sound and the whole team just gaped at their colleagues as they moved against each other. This definitely wasn't the first time they were doing this. They had their own rhythm of pushing and pulling each other to the beat.

"Okay, what is it with the two of them?" Prentiss suddenly asked. "I already thought there's a lot going on between these two while we were out in the field, but this is just—"

"—one second away from someone calling the cops because of indecent behavior?" J.J. volunteered.

"Not exactly what I was thinking of but it comes close." Prentiss looked at her team members catching a concerned look on Hotch's face. "Hotch, do you know more about that?"

"Not much, just enough so I can understand."

"And?" Rossi asked. When it came to gossip he was just as bad as the girls.

"She was assigned as his partner while he was undercover. When they were done and could return to their lives, they requested to be assigned to the same team for the time being. With what they achieved, even Strauss couldn't say no."

Penelope couldn't help herself and asked: "So, she will leave again?"

Hotch turned towards her with a sympathetic smile. He, too, was aware of the tension that the silence between Penelope and Derek left behind. "Honestly, I don't know. Strauss told me that as long as these two can handle the job while working together, they can stay together."

Penelope felt the thousand needles return to her heart upon these words. She had broken up with Lynch so she could be with Derek upon his return, only to realize he had found someone else.

Just in that moment, Derek appeared again, sitting down next to her. Penelope swallowed hard. She could feel the heat radiating from his body.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," they all answered at once.

Derek looked at them confused. The way they all pretended like nothing had happened, he was sure that they had talked about him. Not that he could blame them. This was the first time since his return that things seemed to get back to normal after all. He knew that they all were worried about him and though he would have never admitted it he was thankful for it.

"So, you and Collins seem pretty close." J.J. suddenly spoke up.

Derek shrugged. "We're close friends. Bella's fun to hang out with." He didn't really feel like talking about his relationship with her and was getting defensive because of it.

Ignoring the distance in his voice, Prentiss smiled at him: "That we could see."

Derek wanted to ask her what she was referring to, but Reid spoke up first: "Where is she anyway? I almost believed the two of you were inseparable." He turned his head trying to find the blonde.

"What do you mean by that?" Derek snapped at him as he felt his defenses going up. He hated it when people implied things that they didn't know anything about and didn't have any business in to begin with.

Reid looked at him shocked trying to find the right words to explain himself without upsetting his partner further. As if on cue, though, Collins appeared next to them. She put one of her hand on Derek's shoulder. "He refers to you keeping me close whenever I'm near enough. Sometimes even I think it's eerie."

Derek looked at her confused. What was she implying?

Collins saw how his defenses went up further. Smiling at him, she started to massage his shoulder a little to reassure him. "Don't worry, Baby. I know you're not even aware of it most of the time." Their eyes met and Derek calmed down, seeing the understanding in hers.

"Now, would you care to scoop over a bit so I can sit down? Just 'cause I'm younger than you doesn't mean I don't get tired from all the dancing." She pushed him a little to emphasize her words.

As told Derek moved over, putting his arm around Collins as she sat down. It took him a moment until he realized how close he suddenly was to Penelope. As their arms touched he felt the heat rising between them. This wasn't good. How was he supposed to concentrate with his goddess suddenly so close? When a wave of her perfume hit his nostrils he was completely lost. Not even pretending to listen in on the conversation that had started around him, he just enjoyed being close to her.

Meanwhile, Penelope had to concentrate hard to keep her breath even. Gone were the needles from her heart, instead they had moved to her arm, setting it on fire with Derek being so close. She could smell the sweat clinging to his body but it wasn't unpleasant. It just smelled like her Hot Stuff and she was happy even if it was only for the moment.

As the conversation went on, moving from work-related issues to more fun stuff like weekend plans, Derek and Penelope fell further into their own thoughts of the other. It was only when Derek felt a head on his shoulder that he realized that he still held Collins close to his side. She was had been right, most of the time he really wasn't aware of how he behaved. He felt her yawning.

"Are you tired?" He glanced sideways, only to see her nodding, her eyes closed already. He turned back to everyone, pointing at down. "I better get her home and to bed." He pushed her up softly, making sure that she was awake enough to stand on her own before getting up himself. After he got out of the booth, he slung his arm around her waist to steady her. "Good night, see you on Monday." With these words he steered the two of them out of the bar and towards his car.

Derek stepped out of the shower looking at his reflection in the mirror. If he focused hard enough he could still make out the bigger scars on his chest but they were only faint. He knew that the ones on his back would take much longer to disappear—if they disappeared at all. Some of them would stay, always reminding him of everything that had happened over the last eighteen months. Yet, they were nothing compared to those scars no one could see. Those were just starting to heal.

He pushed the thought aside. Tonight had been nice and it had felt great to not worry about everything for once, so why start with it now? His mind flashed back to Penelope—how warm he had felt when they had been so close. She was reason enough to get better. Yet, he knew that for now he had to keep his distance. She already worried enough about the team when it came to their everyday work. He didn't want to worry her even more with the mess that was his life for the time being.

Right now he had to worry about something completely else though. When they had come home Isabella had been so tired that she had fallen asleep on his couch right away. For Derek that meant that he had to carry her over to the bed now. Just as he pulled up his sweat pants he suddenly heard music coming from his living room. He sighed knowing well what that meant.

And Isabella didn't disappoint him. When he walked into the living room he found her dancing around singing along to some musical soundtrack at the top of her lungs, oblivious to her audience. Derek shook his head. It still amazed him how she could go from being dead asleep to this within mere minutes. Watching her a moment longer he eventually stepped further into the room. "What happened to being tired and wanting to sleep?"

Isabella laughed as she turned towards him. "Well, you caught on to my being tired too late. I'm fully awake now."

She suddenly grabbed his hand so he could twirl her around but Derek just groaned. This was not good. A hyperactive Isabella would keep him awake the whole night, making him watch every musical DVD she owned.

"No chance. We had a tough week and I really need to catch up on sleep. And despite what you say, when you're waltzing around my living room I just can't sleep. "So, go and get ready for bed." He took advantage of her still holding his hand and pulled her into the bathroom. To his surprise she followed him without a further complaint. Maybe this would be easy for once.

Walking back into the living room to turn of the music, Derek had to think of the routine they had developed by now.

After their initial problems as partners they had grown close as the case progressed. He remembered the uncounted day-long fights they had shared. Both of them were strong-headed and liked to be in charge—something that had made them working together difficult in the beginning. Yet, they had worked through their problems and grown closer as the case had progressed. Now, he couldn't even imagine what it'd be like to not have her around every day. They still argued a lot but now it took them about five minutes to get over it.

When Derek heard the bathroom door opening five minutes later he walked back over there so he could push Isabella to the bedroom.

"Oh come on Baby," she smiled up at him. "One movie won't hurt anyone." She begged him.

He looked down at her. Without make-up and dressed in only one of his shirts she still looked like a little girl—especially when she pouted like this. He hated to admit it but when she looked like this he had to put up all his strength to not just give in to her wishes. But right now he was too tired to he just shook his head and pushed her further towards the bed room.

Isabella had something else on her mind though. With ease she turned around in his grasp, throwing him off balance. Laughing she ran back into the living room.

Derek sighed. Sometimes she was worse than his five-year old niece. The only difference was that he could threaten his niece with no sweets the next day, something that didn't work on Isabella. "Baby Girl, don't make me come and get you."

The only answer he received was a giggle. He closed his eyes taking a deep breath. For a moment he contemplated just letting her be and going to bed instead but when there was loud music coming from the living room once more, he knew he had to get her to bed or neither of them would get any sleep. "Girl, you're going to be my death." With that he started to chase after her. He couldn't help himself but he had to smile himself as he heard her laughter. He would have never admitted it to her but he was glad she was there for him. It helped to have someone who understood what he was going through.

It took him about five minutes until he could finally grab her. Scooping her up in his arms, he finally carried her to the bed room and threw her on the bed unceremoniously, climbing in next to her.

When he looked at her happy face with tears in her eyes from laughing so much, he suddenly remembered something she had said earlier. "What did you mean when you said that I had caught on to you being sleepy too late?"

Isabella smiled. "My head been on your shoulder for quite some time already and that hadn't been my first yawn. You were totally zoned out. As was Garcia."

Derek did not understand. What was she referring to?

Seeing his confusion, Isabella continued: "You two seemed to be in your own world. You both looked nervous yet also happy."

"I was happy," Derek admitted. "It was nice to have her so close. It's just—"

"—that you're being a coward." Isabella pointed out. "Talk to her. I don't really know her yet but it doesn't take a genius to know that there's a lot going on between the two of you.

Derek sighed once more. "You know I will, not just right now. I'm too screwed up at the moment. I have to get my act together before I can get her involved. I'm afraid I might hurt her—both emotionally and physically."

Isabella shook her head. They had had this same discussion before. "You know what I think of this. Plus, I think you hurt her every time you keep me close. It's hard for her that someone else has taken her place as your Baby Girl."

Derek glared at her, his defenses going up. "So what? You wanna leave? Feel free to go!" He turned away from her. He could feel the bed move as she moved closer, putting her arm around him.

"No Derek. We both know that I won't go anywhere as long as you want me to hang around. I promised you I would stay, remember? All I'm saying is that maybe it would help you to talk to Garcia. Don't you think she would understand and try to help? She wants you to be yourself again just as much as you and I do." Isabella could feel him relax.

"I will, I promise. Not just right now, I just can't," Derek whispered as he turned back around.

"I know," Isabella smiled up at him. "Now, try to get some sleep. You were right, you need it." She watched as he closed his eyes. He had barely slept while they were out in the field so he could hide his nightmares from the others. She, too, closed her eyes. She knew it would only be a few hours before he would start tossing around, before she would have to remind him that he was back home again.

A/N: Okay, this was long. Over 4000 words, I can't recall when I have written a chapter this long the last time. Feel free to comment/criticize! I love any feedback I get—especially since it's good to know how my chapters seem to someone who is not in my crazy head. I'll try to update Sunday at the latest.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry for this late update. After reading some of your reviews I felt that the original plan for this chapter would not suffice to move the story forward. I decided to change the focus of it. I actually moved something that was supposed to happen at a later point to this chapter so I struggled quite a bit to get it right. Plus, I'm searching for a job right now so that takes up a lot of my time. That's why it took me so long to get it done. I hope this will answer some of the questions you might have. Enjoy!

A/N 2: Okay, the first author's note was written when I first sat down to get this chapter done. Since then a lot has happened which has slowed me down a lot. I got a job that is exactly what I was looking for. But it entailed moving to a new city. Anyway, now that I'm all settled in, I hope that I'll get a bit more writing done again. BTW, you can say thanks to flat mate #1 'cause he pretty much cheered me on to keep going. Flat mate #2 however, distracted me by playing the harmonica.

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds still doesn't belong to me. I'm just a fan with a crazy mind.

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><p>"What was <em>that<em>?" Derek followed Isabella into her apartment before she could close the door. He took deep breaths to stop himself from yelling at her.

"What do you mean? The part where you screwed up or the part where I could barely calm down Johnny because of it?" She turned around glaring up at him with cold eyes.

Derek glared back. "I screwed up? You were the one improvising, almost blowing our cover in the process."

"I was fine until you stepped in to play the hero." She stepped closer to him, poking at his chest to emphasize her point.

Derek pushed away her hand, taking a step closer to her. "Well, I wouldn't need to if you'd let me know in advance what you plan to do." He glowered at her, continuing: "'Cause then I could talk you out of your stupid plans right away." After four months of working with her he was tired of all the fights. He didn't know what to do anymore because it didn't matter what he said to his partner she wouldn't listen anyway.

Not one to back down easily, Isabella pushed him away from her. "My plans would work if you'd stop acting like a total jerk who has to be right all the time."

"Well, if being a jerk means to have more experience out in the field than a spoiled brat like you then so be it." The words had barely left Derek's lips when he felt the sting of her slapping his cheek. He stumbled back a bit. She sure was strong but not strong enough that he couldn't block her second attempt to hit him. He grabbed both her wrists and held her arms to her side, glaring down at her.

"What?" She looked up at him with fierce eyes. "Don't tell me you've never been hit by a woman before. If so, you had it a long time coming." She pulled her wrists free, then pushed him towards the wall. He could see that she was really pissed off now.

"And don't you ever call me a spoiled brat again; you don't know anything about me." With that she walked further into her apartment, not caring if he followed her or left.

"Stop," Isabella hissed at Derek when she looked over his shoulder, stepping further away from him. Her expression changed from rage to a smile when she suddenly said "Johnny, Baby. Hey!" She moved towards him and tried to put an arm around him but he moved away.

He looked between Derek and Isabella to make sense of what he just had witnessed—again. Lately, he found the two of them whispering or arguing almost daily. "What's going on?" He asked Isabella, ignoring Derek completely.

She quickly glanced at Derek, then, focused on her "boyfriend." "Nothing." Her voice was calm, and Derek realized that he was still amazed by how she could switch from being angry at him to pretending to be all lovey-dovey with that scumbag.

After the semi-truce they had called after things had gotten way out of hand during their last fight he had realized that her job was a lot more difficult than his. While Derek just had to pretend to be a criminal, she had to play a bimbo supposedly in love with Johnny.

Johnny now looked at him, his eyes only small slits. "It sure didn't look like nothing." His voice was harsh as he suddenly grabbed Isabella's wrist, pulling her close towards him. "Sweetheart, by now you should know that I don't like it when people are lying to me."

Isabella focused to keep looking at him. "I don't know what you mean, Baby. Why would I lie to you?" She felt Derek shift a little closer, trying to protect her from Johnny if need be.

Johnny smirked. He too had realized Derek taking a more protective stance. He turned towards him, still holding Isabella close. "That's what I'm asking myself too. Mike, sure, you're smarter than this stupid girl and know better than to pretend, right?"

Derek tried to come up with a convincible cover story but he couldn't think of anything right now.

"Well?" Johnny starred at him expectantly.

"He just gave me a warning and I told him to stay out of my business." Isabella spoke up and both turned back to her.

"A warning? About what?" Johnny grabbed her wrist even harder.

Isabella gulped. She knew that what she was about to say could blow everything if Derek didn't play along. But she had to risk it because if he did, at least he could stay in the gang. "He saw me flirting with another guy some days ago. He warned me that he would tell you everything if he witnessed it again."

Derek starred at her. What was she doing? She had witnessed Johnny's temper before and she knew that he didn't shy away from hitting a girl when she disobeyed him.

"Is that so?" Johnny focused on Derek again.

Seeing Isabella glare at him, he nodded. "Yeah. It was pathetic really. Especially since he was just a kid. I know I should have told you right away but since she usually behaves so well I thought I might give her another chance to prove that she's not a betraying bitch." Derek was surprised how easy it suddenly was to come up with something now that Isabella had offered a beginning.

"Yes, you should have but I see what you mean. Now, leave us alone." Johnny looked back to Isabella glaring at her.

Derek didn't want to leave but he knew he didn't have any other choice if he didn't want Johnny to become suspicious again. Without looking at Isabella once more he crossed the terrace and walked into the house. There he positioned him so that he could still see the couple. He couldn't hear what they were saying but seeing it was already bad enough.

Johnny kept glaring down at Isabella, saying something that made her shy away from him—something Derek always had thought she'd never do. When Johnny suddenly hit her in the face, it took Derek all his willpower to not run back out there to protect her. Even if they didn't agree on much, she was still his partner and he felt responsible for her. After all she just took the blow that would protect his position.

He grabbed onto the counter as he kept looking at what happened outside. Isabella said something in return to Johnny, looking down the whole time. Johnny seemed to contemplate it for a second before he hit her in the face again. This time the blow was so hard that she fell to the floor. She kept her head down as Johnny crouched down next to her, whispering something into her ear. As he got up he kicked her in the gut before walking away as if nothing had happened.

Derek drew a deep breath. He wanted to go out and check on her but right now he couldn't risk it or Isabella's sacrifice would mean nothing for the case.

"Mike, get her home. I gave her a warning and I believe she learned her lesson." Johnny looked outside the window, Isabella was still lying on the floor not moving. "From now on, you'll have an eye on her whenever she's not with me, is that clear? You'll report any suspicious behavior right away. Not that I'll expect any further indiscretions on her behalf." With these words, Johnny walked away.

Derek didn't move for a moment. He couldn't believe it. Not only was Isabella still in the game but now, they even had an excuse to be seen together. When he heard the engine of a car start he ran towards his partner.

He kneeled down next to her to have a better look at how bad she was hurt. Her lip was bleeding and he could see several bruises forming all over her face- Her eyes were closed but at least her breath was strong and even.

"Are you awake."

She nodded opening her eyes.

"Do you think you can get up?"

Isabella hesitated for a moment before carefully moving her body. At the moment she didn't hurt too much but she knew that it wouldn't be long before her body would feel the beating. Slowly she pushed herself up, holding on to the hand Derek held out for her.

"Morgan, why are we at your place?" Isabella looked around the hall when Derek opened his door.

"I want to check out those bruises and the cut on your lip." He pushed the door open and led her into his apartment. "Why don't you sit while I get the first-aid kit?"

When he walked away to his bedroom, Isabella yelled after him: "You could have done these things at my place, too," while she plopped down on the couch. A movement she regretted instantly. Her whole body was tense from the beating and the fall on the hard terrace floor. She was sure there was a bruise spreading from her left hip all the way to her bottom. With the last of the adrenalin burned up she suddenly felt very tired so she leaned backwards and closed her eyes.

"Are you okay?" She felt the couch shift next to her when Derek sat down.

"Yeah, it's nothing that won't heal eventually. I might hide inside for the next couple of days though. I must look like a freak already and I don't even want to think about what I'll look like in a couple of days." She smiled but the cut on her lip made it difficult. "Ouch."

"Yeah, you look like a freak but then again you do most of them." Derek smiled down at her, which faded only slightly when she punched him in the chest.

"I thought you brought me here to check out my wounds? I'm pretty sure mocking me is not part of that." She pushed herself up again and turned towards Derek. "So, Nurse Morgan, do you job."

Derek mock-glared at her. "You know, I don't think there's much to do if you can crack such bad jokes again already." Despite his words he bent over her to have a better look at the bruises. They weren't as bad as he had expected it at first. As he continued inspecting Isabella's face, he asked: "What did he say to you?"

Her calm face turned hard within seconds after the question, and she moved away from Derek. "That bastard said that someone who belongs to him shouldn't be so foolish to flirt with others. Can you believe it? He seriously said I belong to him. I would have loved to beat the crap out if him for that. What does he think I am, some kind of property or something?"

Derek knew he shouldn't, but he just couldn't help himself and started smiling at her. Isabella really was one of a kind.

"Stop smiling you idiot. It's bad enough as it is. I don't need you mocking me on top of it." She tried to punch his chest again but this time he caught her hand on time, holding it close.

"First, could you please stop hitting me? I know you're mad but I'd be very grateful if you could stop using me as your personal punching bag. Second, I wasn't mocking you. You might not believe it but by now I know better than to piss you of. And last, I was smiling because you're simply incredible. Any other girl would mainly be devastated or pissed that she was hit by her boyfriend. Not you, though. You don't care for the bruises, you only think of how he treated you like property."

Isabella looked up at him, her anger subsiding the moment she saw his sincere look. She thought about his words for a moment. "Well, I'm in the FBI so getting injured somewhat comes with the job description, doesn't it? No need to make a fuss about that. But men being total pigs is another issue."

"So, I gathered." Derek gave her a quick smile before turning somber. "Listen, I guess I should apologize to you."

Isabella was confused. What was he talking about? "Why? It's not like you're the one who acted like a total jerk, at least not this time." She nudged him.

"But I did, if I hadn't picked the fight in the first place Johnny wouldn't have gotten the idea that something was wrong. So, I'm sorry for that." Derek would have never admitted it to her, but she had been right all along. He hadn't trusted her actions and thought he knew better. He had let his partner down because he had been too smug to listen to a junior agent.

Isabella watched him for a moment. She felt that there was more going on inside her partner than he admitted but she decided to let it go. "Derek, we're both bullheads when it comes to our views. If you want to blame yourself, you need to blame me just as much for what just happened." She took a deep breath. "Why don't we call it a truce? We got lucky this time. We're still in the game and I guess we both learned from this." She held out her hand to Derek.

He looked at it for a moment, then up at her bruised face. A truce sounded like a good idea so he shook it and smiled at his partner.

Isabella walked out of her favorite café onto the busy street, balancing two large paper cups, two small bags with cake in them, and a newspaper in her hands. "Okay, next time, just ignore when I say I can handle it alone. Just insist on helping me to get our breakfast," she said to Derek as she came to a halt next to him. When he didn't answer, she looked at him surprised. "What? No witty comeback about how it's my own fault or how I wouldn't listen to you to begin with?"

Only when he still didn't answer, she realized the distant look in his eyes. Following his line of vision, she saw a group of four people standing across the street. Even from the distance, she could tell that all of them were on edge, discussing something frantically.

"Derek, are you alright?" She touched his arm lightly, afraid to startle him otherwise.

It was only when one of the women among the group turned around facing to their direction that Derek came out of his stupor, walking away fast.

Wearing her trademark three-inch heels and still carrying the coffees, it was hard for Isabella to keep up with him. It was only after walking five blocks that he finally stopped.

"Derek, what's going on?" By now, Isabella was worried and the pained look in Derek's eyes didn't help to ease the tension she felt. "These people, do you know them?"

"They are part of my BAU team." He concentrated on taking deep breaths. Right after moving to L.A. he had hoped for his friends to show up while on a case every time he passed a police station. Just to catch a glimpse of them would have meant a lot to him. Now, more than five months later, he had given up the hope, only to see them when he had least expected it.

What had shocked him most was that his Baby Girl had been there as well. He had always seen her coming with the team with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it head meant to not be restricted to phone and video calls. On the other hand, it had also always meant more worries that something might happen to her.

Knowing that he would eventually get back to her, was still what kept him going. Even if things had become more difficult since Johnny had finally introduced him and Isabella to Juan Alvarez, he knew they were on the right track and his return home only a matter of time.

Despite thinking of her daily, it still came as a shock to him to see her like this. After all those weeks, his feelings for her had only grown stronger and it had taken up all his mental power to not just walk over to her.

Isabella was at a loss of words. She had wondered about her team every now and then but she knew that her relationship with them did not compare to the one Derek had with his team. The way he talked about them, she always felt like he was referring to his family rather than his colleagues. More than once, she had seen the pain in his eyes when he mentioned them.

She was surprised when he spoke up again: "You know the worst part? Penny was with them."

"Was she the one with the blond curls that turned around?" Isabella tried to hide the curiosity in her voice. So far every time Derek had mentioned his team's tech girl, he had changed the topic shortly after. When he nodded, she continued: "I don't want to be rude but what's the deal with her? I feel like I know a lot about everyone in your team but her."

"She's my Baby Girl. Ever since she joined the BAU we had this close connection to each other. I don't know, it's hard to explain." Derek knew that it wasn't that hard to explain but he didn't feel like sharing this kind of information with Isabella. They had come a long way since calling it a truce a month ago but when it came to his private life, he still didn't trust her. That's why it came as a surprise to him when she suddenly stated with her matter-of-fact-voice: "You're in love with her."

Isabella chuckled when she saw his shocked face. "Oh come on, don't tell me I'm the first to point out the obvious?"

"Well, you are, and it's not that obvious."

"Sorry to disappoint you but it is. I guess I'm just not sensitive enough to keep quiet about it." Isabella hoped that her light tone would ease Derek's tension but when he remained silent, she turned somber. "Derek, I don't really know what's going on in your mind right now since you don't open up—"

He glared at her accusingly but Isabella just continued: "—which is totally okay. I'm just saying that if you ever need to talk, I'm here. I know that there'll never be a replacement for her but if you want me to, I could fill in as your baby girl."

* * *

><p>AN: Argh, I did it and it was a tough one. Not even working at Starbucks helped much this time and it usually is the best recipe for me to get some actual writing done. So, I'm not really happy with the outcome of the chapter (especially the truce) but I didn't want you guys to wait any longer. I know it's quite strong on the dialogue during the biggest part of it but I promise I'll try to get more thoughts and stuff into the next chapter.

Also, I wanted to ask if anayone is interested in being my beta for this story. With my university life over I don't get to speak/write in English that much any longer. So having a mother tongue speaker looking over my stuff would be a huge help. Having a beta would also help to streamline everything since I tend to work on a chapter in up to five sessions which leads to consistency issues. And a beta would probably make me work on a more regular basis. So, if you're interested just sent me a PM.


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